ATHENS -- There is less of Aaron Murray this spring for Georgia.The Bulldogs’ fifth-year senior quarterback says he’s dropped about 8 pounds and now checks in at 6-foot-1 and about 207 pounds.He made a concerted effort to lose some weight.“I need to move more,” Murray said with a chuckle.While Murray’s touchdown passes and passing yards have increased each season, his rushing totals have gone down the last two years. He would like to be able to run more like he did in 2010 as a redshirt freshman when he rushed for 167 yards and four touchdowns.“I was at least a little bit more agile,” Murray said. “I don’t know if it was the hits or what that slowed me down. I’m an old man. I just felt like I needed to lose a couple of pounds, be able to catch maybe that five to seven yards if I can.”Murray spent spring break in Oklahoma working with quarterback guru George Whitfield.“We did a bunch of drills where I’m simulating throwing over people, getting the ball up and over,” Murray said. “A problem I’ve had sometimes is you try to throw over a defender but you don’t get the nose of the ball down so the ball keeps sailing on you. We did a lot of practice of really getting your arm up, extending that finger down and getting the ball to rotate back down into the receiver’s hands over the DB’s fingertips.”Murray also worked on throwing with more velocity and accuracy.He said the week was great, but he didn’t have much fun in Norman, Okla.“It is not Athens at all,” he said. “It’s very flat, very windy, not very pretty at all. I would never live there. I’m sorry for everybody that lives in Oklahoma. I’m not trying to be mean, but definitely not a place you’d go for vacation.”Coach Mark Richt said he didn’t know Murray was going to Oklahoma until after he told reporters and hadn’t spoken to him about it since he returned, but both Richt and offensive coordinator Mike Bobo said they viewed the trip as positive because Murray again was working to get better.“I’m glad he went, I’m glad he got value out of it,” Richt said. “But I didn’t talk too much about it. … It’s just a guy pursuing excellence.”

Track may not be in plans again for MarshallKeith Marshall thinks his days of running track could be over.“I wouldn’t be surprised if they didn’t let me run again, but I would like to run again,” Marshall said. “Football’s definitely first.”Marshall missed the first week of spring practices after pulling a hamstring Feb. 9 while running the 60-meter dash at Virginia Tech.“I couldn’t walk,” he said. “I felt it pop. I didn’t think it was as bad as it was. At first I thought it was just a strain, but they held me out a little longer than I hoped.”The Bulldogs’ second-leading rusher from last year is now back at practice.“Coaches are looking out for me a little bit, but I’m pretty much full go,” he said.

Scrimmage timeGeorgia will hold its first scrimmage of the spring on Saturday morning.The session is closed to the public and the media.Scrimmaging in Sanford Stadium perks up the team, Richt said.“I think that helps get them revved up a little bit,” Richt said. “It’s hard not to play better when you’re between the hedges playing on our beautiful field.”The scrimmage will be the biggest stage yet this spring for players to make an impression.“We’re just trying to find out who is going to get the job done for us,” Richt said. “Who can win a starting job? Who can win playing time? Who can prove to the coaching staff that they can become reliable and dependable. That’s really what it’s about.”

Quick hitsOffensive tackle John Theus (foot surgery) could return to practice as early as next week, Richt said. … Backup quarterback Hutson Mason returned from a mission trip to the Dominican Republic over spring break with what he said was Dengue fever that he said he got from a bug bite. Mason missed practice Tuesday but was back at it on Thursday. He said he is now at about 85 to 90 percent. … Murray on freshman inside linebacker Reggie Carter: “Very impressive. He’s definitely impressed me so far. He’s going to be good.” … Outside linebacker Brandon Burrows (undisclosed) did not practice Thursday.